The Brindle and Bramble – sequel to the Ash and Squirrel
by Graystorm11
Summary: What the title says. Still no happy ending! R&R!


**On request, here's the sequel. Same as before, I don't own warriors. It still doesn't have a happy ending either. **

"Cough for me"

Brindlepaw sighed, but obeyed the medicine cat's command.

"It sounds clear! You may return to apprentice duties!" Leafpool congratulated.

Brindlepaw purred with happiness. In the half-moon since the fire, she'd been bored out of her mind in the medicine cat's den. She'd been given honey each day, though, so it wasn't all bad.

"Sandstorm will be waiting." Leafpool murmured.

"Thanks for helping me," Brindlepaw mewed before bouncing out of the den to find Sandstorm. The gray-flecked apprentice found her mentor munching on a mouse near the fresh-kill pile. Brindlepaw snuck up behind Sandstorm, treating her like prey. Brindlepaw wiggled her haunches and sprang, landing squarely on Sandstorm's tail.

"YEERROOOOW!" Sandstorm yowled in shock, eyes wide with surprise. When she saw it was only her gray-furred apprentice, Sandstorm began to laugh.

"Don't _do_ that!" Sandstorm laughed. "I thought my heart was going to burst!"

"Sorry! I'm just so happy to -" Brindlepaw was cut off by a blur of ginger fur.

"My daughter!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, "You're back!"

Ashfur padded up to the joyous reunion of mother and daughter.

"Welcome back, Brindlepaw." Ashfur meowed, eyes glimmering like stars.

"Brindlepaw!" Brackenfur called. "Would you like to go with the evening border patrol?"

"After being cooped up in the medicine cat's den for a half-moon? Of course!" Brindlepaw mewed enthusiastically.

"Guess I better finish eating then," Sandstorm purred.

"Or you could've just shared," Graystripe meowed mournfully.

"Get your own, you hungry old badger!" Brindlepaw exclaimed, doing her best impression of Millie, Graystripe's mate.

Graystripe gave an amused glare at the gray apprentice. "Fine, fine!' The tom said, rolling his eyes and picking up a fat squirrel.

"Let's go" Sandstorm said, padding to the thorn barrier. Thornclaw, Dustpelt, and Brindlepaw followed the light ginger she-cat out into the forest to the Shadowclan border.

_Dusk_

"Good night, Blossompaw." Brindlepaw mewed to Millie and Graystripe's daughter.

"Good night" With the response, Brindlepaw fell asleep.

Brindlepaw woke up in a strange, murky, forest. Fog drifted among the trees and whispers came from unseen shadows. Not a speck of light glowed from the sky, and evil-smelling mushrooms shone with a gloomy greenish light. There were no scents of prey in the undergrowth, but dead leaves crackled and twigs snapped under invisible paws.

A face leered out of the gloom, distorted with hatred. It was a white cat with pale red eyes. He had shredded stumps where ears might have been and his tail was a bloody mess.

Brindlepaw screamed and ran but the white cat chased after her.

"They said I was useless! They claimed I was worthless! And I _killed _them!" The white cat foamed and spat and laughed, which came out as a horrible choking sound.

"Redeye!" A cat roared. Brindlepaw skidded to a halt as a cat shape appeared out of the gloom. The white cat, Redeye, leaped on Brindlepaw, pinning her to the ground. He clawed her with no mercy.

"Thank you Redeye, you are dismissed." The cat shape growled. Redeye grinned evilly and turned into mist, which floated away.

Brindlepaw was left huddled on the ground, shivering. Her fur was shredded, and blood trickled out of her mouth. She tried to get up, only to realize her paws were laced with claw marks and she could not put any weight on them.

'Redeye is appropriately named 'the Shredder' the cat form murmured.

"Brambleclaw?" Brindlepaw croaked, dimly recognizing the powerful shape of the crazed tom.

"Very good, Brindlepaw. Do you know why I brought you here?" Brambleclaw was made of smoke, nothing but a cat shape defined where he was.

"Why are you made of smoke?" Brindlepaw rasped, trying to delay. She knew why she was brought here.

Brambleclaw shrugged. "Some cats choose to remain in the form they died in. Snowtuft, for example, his scar still bleeds when he gets angry, so it bleeds a lot."

"But you," The smoke-cat whispered. "Won't have a choice. I will shred you until there is nothing left to join Starclan."

Brambleclaw stalked forwards until he stood directly over the whimpering she-cat. He dug a huge claw into Brindlepaw's belly, smiling as she screamed. He dug his claw in deeper, relishing the pain the young cat was going through.

"_This_ is revenge!" Brambleclaw yowled with sickening joy.

"You once _loved_ Squirrelflight!" Brindlepaw howled, a desperate attempt to get free.

Brambleclaw suddenly seemed to deflate.

"This isn't over." The smoky form growled. As Brindlepaw woke up, she heard the evil cat whispering "I will destroy you when you least expect it."

_3 quarter moons later_

"Then by the powers, given to me by Starclan, I name you _Brindlestorm_! May you serve the clan with your strength and quick thinking." Firestar finished the ceremony, proudly gazing down on his daughter's daughter.

"Brindlestorm, Brindlestorm!" The clan chanted as Squirrelflight and Ashfur purred loud enough to shake the sky.

"Tonight, we will also honor Redflame and Frostnose, who could not be with their sister today." At this, all of Thunderclan bowed their heads as a sign of respect.

"Cats going to the gathering tomorrow are Brackenfur, Leafpool, Sandstorm, Graystripe, Millie, Brindlestorm, Bumblepaw, and Briarpaw." Firestar finished and flicking his tail, padded back into his den.

Brindlestorm washed her pelt, covering the scars Redeye had given her. She shivered at the thought of the cruel tom. She had been unconscious from the pain for a quarter moon after he wounded her. Maybe the vigil and the Gathering tomorrow would take her mind off the dark forest.

_Moonhigh that night_

Soft shadows encircled the camp that Brindlestorm was carefully guarding. Moonlight streamed down on her pelt, turning it silver as the stars. Slowly, darkness began to fall over the warrior. She looked up – the moon was still there but it seemed as though a thick fog was covering it.

"Little Brindlestorm watching the sky, little Brindlestorm soon will _die!_" Redeye's crazy, evil, laughter echoed through the still night air. His twisted face appeared where the moon would have normally been.

"You thought you could forget me?" Redeye smiled cruelly. "You never forget misery and I _am _misery."

"G-go a-away!" Brindlestorm trembled as she spoke.

"Oh, but my dear. Evil never goes away. It is always lurking into the shadows, waiting for an innocent cat to walk by. And then…" Redeye emphasized his point by snapping his jaws. Brindlestorm whimpered.

"See you soon, little Brindlestorm" Redeye's face turned back into the moon and left Brindlestorm crouching in the clearing, wary for the rest of the night.

_The next morning_

Brindlestorm yawned. The shock of the moon turning into Redeye's face had kept her wide awake most of the night but just before dawn, she had started feeling sleepy. She was most grateful when she saw the cats who were assigned dawn patrol appear out of their dens. The gray-flecked warrior stretched and lay down beside the entrance.

"Long vigil, huh?" Mousewhisker meowed as he led the dawn patrol out of camp.

"You have no idea." Brindlestorm grunted.

"You can sleep in my nest in the warriors den for now." Mousewhisker offered.

"Thanks." As Brindlestorm headed for the warrior's den, she heard a loud screech from the medicine cat's den. As Brindlestorm ran towards the den, she wondered if something had snuck into camp.

No, Leafpool was coming out of her den, but while she had no scratches, her fur was fluffed up in fright. The clan crowded around the medicine cat, wanting to hear what had scared her.

"An omen!" Leafpool cried. "It was 'The stars shall die unless the one who will fall to darkness overpowers the darkness!'"

Brindlestorm felt sick. "The dark forest?" the new warrior guessed. Leafpool stared at the young cat.

"It sounds like it." An unseen cat called out.

"One of us must save the clans from the dark forest!" Hazeltail called out fearfully.

Suspicious muttering ensued.

"Quiet!" Firestar thundered. "This is serious enough to announce at the gathering tonight. Until then, no one must speak of it."

_Moonhigh on the Gathering Island_

"Thunderclan has much to report. As you know, clouds covered the sky last full moon so there is much to be said. First off, there was a fire in the hollow. Brambleclaw, and two apprentices died. We have a new warrior, Brindlestorm. Her littermates died in the fire and we shall ever remember Redflame and Frostnose."

"Are you finished yet, Firestar?" Blackstar sneered. "Even if it is newleaf, it still gets cold at night."

"Not quite, Blackstar, for there is something very disturbing to report. Our medicine cat had an omen"

"Why report that at the gathering, though?" Breezepaw of Windclan rudely called out.

Firestar ignored Breezepaw and continued, "It was this; 'The stars shall die unless the one who will fall to darkness overpowers the darkness'"

Dead silence.

"And have you figured it out yet?" A scratchy, sneering voice jeered from the edge of the clearing. Cats fell over each other to make way for a dark, smoky, tom.

Brambleclaw.

His dark amber eyes narrowed to slits, he made a gesture with his tail. Redeye stalked out from a patch of dry grass and stood beside the smoky form of Brambleclaw.

"Come forward Brindlestorm!" Bellowed the dark tabby. Brindlestorm's paws moved but her mind was stationary in fear.

"This cat," Brambleclaw thundered, "Is the only living kit of Squirrelflight, the cat who turned me down for another."

Brambleclaw gruesomely smiled and turned into a thin line of smoke.

'Pin her down' Brambleclaw's voice echoed through the clearing. Redeye obeyed and Dark forest cats flooded from the undergrowth surrounding the clearing. The dark warriors made a ring around Brindlestorm and Redeye. Redeye dug one jagged caw into Brindlestorm's shoulder and as the she-cat started to wail in agony, the Brambleclaw-smoke drifted in through her mouth.

Brindlestorm coughed and choked and Redeye stepped off her. Brindlestorm stood up but her eyes had turned from their normal green to dark amber.

"At last, to have a form." Brindlestorm growled but it was not Brindlestorm's voice that came out of the gray she-cat's body. Somehow, Brambleclaw's spirit had entered Brindlestorm's body.

"The fool cat could not resist me!" Brambleclaw shouted out of Brindlestorm's mouth.

"Tigerstar, my father, would you be so kind as to possess Firestar?" Brambleclaw's voice rasped.

Tigerstar grinned evilly. "It would be my pleasure, son."

"Stop!" Squirrelflight cried from the back of the crowd. Brindlestorm's head snapped around and the Brambleclaw inside smirked.

'You will die first, puny cat!" Brambleclaw snarled. "You will be killed by your own daughter!"

Suddenly the amber light in Brindlestorm's eyes faded. "Run!" shouted the she-cat, speaking in her own voice.

"Stay!" commanded Brambleclaw, again turning Brindlestorm's eyes amber. Brindlestorm's eyes flickered again.

"Save yourselves!" Brindlestorm cried and about half the cats at the gathering obeyed.

"You are weak!" Brambleclaw bellowed. "You have no power over me!"

"I – have – love" Brindlestorm panted.

Then, like all the lights that had ever shone entered Brindlestorm, the she-cat let out a blinding flash of light. It was golden like the sun but also silver like the moon.

When the light faded, there was not a single dark forest cat in the clearing. All that remained was a limp, gray-flecked, cat lying on the ground.

"Brindlestorm" Squirrelflight sobbed.

"I love you, mother" Brindlestorm whispered. "I'll say hello to Redflame and Frostnose."

Ashfur padded up to his daughter.

"Squirrelflight made the right choice." Brindlestorm told her father. She was barely speaking in a whisper now. "I destroyed the Dark Forest. The clans will be safe forever."

"And you shall always be known as their savior" A beautiful cat with stars in their fur padded to the young warrior.

"Brindleface" Ashfur whispered, eyes filling with tears as he looked at his mother.

"I have always been proud of you," Brindleface murmured. "It is your daughter's time to go now."

The moonlight struck Brindlestorm's fur as the beautiful hero closed her eyes for the last time.

**Were you satisfied with the ending? I was crying as I wrote it. Please tell me what you thought in a review!**


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